The Agony Aunt, Wife & Counsellor

Enslaved to Daydreaming

What would you say to someone who feels enslaved to daydreaming and a desire to be in a relationship?

Dear Anon,

Daydreaming is a tool used by people to take themselves away from the “here & now”. When daydreaming you tend to dream of ‘better days’ or desired/intended adventures and the like. Day dreams are usually fantasies, ideals and such, about your life and future. They can at times be unrealistic, which is why I believe you have to be very careful, especially if you feel enslaved by them.

Daydream – A series of pleasant thoughts that distract one’s attention from the present.

‘she was lost in a daydream’ – oxforddictionaries.com

When it comes to relationships, we all have ideals and expectations, reality hits once you then find yourself in a relationship; you now have ‘real’ (sometimes) unappealing or unattractive things to deal with. i.e You fantasied that the person of your dreams would automatically know why you are upset and immediately know the right thing to say to make you feel better. Yet in reality that doesn’t happen, we work at getting to know people. Loving and respecting them enough to express that you are upset and why – no one is a mind reader!

Or, you fantasise about having a “nice guy”, someone that will treat you right, yet in reality, you can’t stand the fact they are “so nice” and think something is wrong with them, don’t feel they can be trusted or you walk all over them…?

Instead of having your ‘head in the clouds’ or fantasising about relationships, it would be in your best interest to turn that into meditating on the truth about about relationships. Truthful, realistic expectations on characteristics of a spouse and things that you may desire in life.

So its not bad to want/desire to be in a relationship. But what are you focusing on?
Are you daydreaming that the guy has to be “sexy” (..tall, dark and handsome etc) or are you meditating on how you desire for a prayerful man that serves God?
There’s a difference!

Many a man proclaims his own loyalty and goodness, But who can find a faithful and trustworthy man? – Prov 20v6

A few recommendations for getting yourself out of the enslaved feeling of daydreaming:

It might seem hard, but try and stop day dreaming about relationships. When you catch yourself daydreaming, seize the thought /dream and check it. See if it’s healthy or unhealthy by the standards that you understand God to place on relationships.

Read more books on relationships. You want to get yourself ready for the right mindset and replace the daydreams with meaningful meditations that you’ll now have from the book/s.

Talk/befriend those in relationships or married couples. To get a better picture on what expectations they had and how they overcame them.

Find a way to walk-in/develop/practice/find out/actualise your purpose. When you are occupied with Gods work /your passion, you’ll have less time to worry about relationships. Guys will see you in your element, see what an amazing worker you are and be attracted to the passion you show. It’ll also help identify similarities or an appreciation for what you do and who you are.